Rockets guard Reed Sheppard was ruled out for Saturday's home game against the Thunder with a back injury, hours after he had been upgraded to day-to-day. Houston will be without Sheppard, Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams against Oklahoma City.
What happened
Reed Sheppard was ruled out at 1:39 p.m. ET Saturday. The 22-year-old guard has a back injury. He had been listed as day-to-day earlier Saturday. Before that, he was out on Thursday, Oct. 29, with the same back issue. The injury report said: "Sheppard (back) is out for Saturday's game against the Thunder." This is his second injury of the month. He was out on Oct. 23 with a left knee issue, moved to day-to-day on Oct. 24 and was cleared the same day.
What it means for the Rockets
Houston hosts Oklahoma City at 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBA TV. The Rockets are 5-1, second in the seeding, and lost their last game. Sheppard has played four games, averaging 10.5 points, 4.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 23.3 minutes. Houston is 4-0 when he plays and 1-1 without him. The backcourt is thin. Fred VanVleet is out with a right knee injury and Steven Adams is out with a right calf injury. In the games Sheppard missed, Amen Thompson played 34.8 minutes and Marcus Smart 21.8. Kevin Durant averaged 23.3 points and Alperen Sengun 24.5 in those games.
What to watch
The injury report lists Sheppard's expected return as Monday, Nov. 2. Look for his status on the next injury report to see whether that date holds. His status has changed three times since Thursday, so it could change again. Houston's opponent for that game has not been announced. VanVleet and Adams are both out, and their return dates have not been announced.
Is Reed Sheppard playing against the Thunder on Saturday?
No. He is out for Saturday's 8:30 p.m. ET game against the Thunder because of a back injury.
When will Reed Sheppard be back?
The injury report lists his expected return as Monday, Nov. 2. The team has not confirmed that he will play that day.